Motor skills and sport skills are learned by frequent repetition of proper technique. Many people have trouble reaching their full physical potential because either they are not taught proper technique (unlearning “wrong” technique is a challenge), or they become bored with the repetition (practice) process that is required to master the technique, sometimes referred to as burning the technique into “muscle memory.”
In addition, overall participation in physical activity has been declining among children. This creates a wide range of individual and societal concerns—from obesity to adult-onset diabetes in children. Children are increasingly involved in technology-enabled “screen time”—including watching television and playing computer games. Screen time is often excessive for children because it is so engaging. This contributes to a sedentary lifestyle.
In order to reverse this decline in physical activity within the population, particularly among children, it is desired to provide a system (1) to aid participants in learning and mastering motor skills, and (2) to apply the engaging elements of technology for the positive purpose of promoting physical activity. More specifically, it is desired to promote learning and repetition (and practice) with ongoing, immediate, and engaging feedback.
Various systems have been developed which aim to achieve these goals by providing a simulated sports environment, such as, in particular, by simulating various aspects of baseball (e.g., simulated hitting and pitching systems), golf and other sports.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,767,121, U.S. Pat. No. 4,086,630 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,598,976 disclose golf simulators in which the trajectory of a struck ball is determined by measuring parameters of the ball's impact with a surface. This determined trajectory is then used to calculate and display to a player a virtual representation of where on a virtual golf course his/her shot would have landed. The player can then make another shot from that location, thereby being allowed to play a virtual round of golf. Other types of golf simulators use other means of determining the trajectory of a struck golf ball, such as by employing strategically placed microphones, laser beam based detection means, etc., in order to allow the player to play a virtual round of golf.
Similar systems are also used in other types of sports simulators. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,768,151, U.S. Pat. No. 5,433,260 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,915,384 disclose similar systems for use in baseball simulators, while U.S. Pat. No. 4,751,642 discloses a similar system for use in football simulators. In each of these systems, the trajectory of a hit, thrown or kicked ball is determined by one of various sensing means, which determined trajectory is then used to calculate and display to a player a virtual representation of to where on a virtual playing field the ball would have traveled.
Other systems have been developed with the goal of, and/or the result of, promoting physical activity. One rudimentary example of such a “system” is the exercise video, which has been known for decades, and which provides encouragement for a person watching the video on a television to exercise along therewith. More recent examples of such systems include games which require that players dance on a series of pads in response to visual cues (such as the series of games known as Dance Dance Revolution distributed by Konami Corporation), and games which employ tracking cameras (such as the Playstation® Eyetoy™ distributed by Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.).
While each of the above-described systems may promote physical activity to some degree, they suffer from a number of disadvantages. One of the main disadvantages is that all of the prior art systems discussed above disclose the use of only a single play station at which the player is located. As such, while these systems may encourage some physical activity and/or help a player to develop his/her technique, they do not require that the player move around to any significant degree, and therefore do not promote significant locomotive physical activity, and many do not promote physical activity or fitness benefits. Another disadvantage of the prior art systems discussed above is that while such systems may keep track of a player's performance during operation of the system, and may even adjust to the player's experience level, they do not incorporate a player's personal information into the game play. As such, the prior art systems do not make the player feel as though he/she is part of the game, which may cause the player, particularly if the player is a young child, to lose interest in the game. If the systems would make the player feel as though they were immersed in the game, the player, particularly if the player is a young child, may be more “excited” about playing, and therefore, be more likely to play for longer periods of time.
A further disadvantage of the above systems is that they may be used by only one user, or a limited number of users, at any given time, rather than creating an environment for immersing a large group of participants to learn and play together. The latter type of system is more desirable, in that it promotes adherence to a program through social interaction, reduces time waiting in line to perform the activity and maximizes actual active time of participants. Moreover, it allows a few coaches to coach many participants simultaneously.
What is desired, therefore, is a system for promoting physical activity which aids participants in learning and mastering motor skills, which promotes repetition with ongoing, immediate, and engaging feedback, which promotes significant physical activity by requiring participants to move about a relatively large area rather than standing at a single game station, and which immerses the participant in the game, thereby making the participant more likely to continue participating for long periods of time.